Husky Triathlon Festival

The Elite Energy Series in Huskisson, on the south coast of NSW, proved once again to be one of the most popular races on the triathlon calendar. The place was buzzing with athletes all weekend & I was so excited to be a part of it. 

Because my ankle didn't heal in time, and I hadn't done enough training for the run, I had to pull out of the Long Course, but this meant I could make up for it by doing a few shorter races. On Friday, I raced in the 1km Ocean Swim. I felt a lot faster than last year & I definitely pushed more than usual but unfortunately the tide did not work in my favour & it ended up being a really choppy swim. Final time was 21.48. About 3 mins slower than last year but I came 8th in my AG (out of 23) & 25th female (out of 59). Apparently everyone else said theit times were a lot slower this year so I didn't feel so bad after that! Nate, Cat & Bel B arrived so we went out to dinner for some Thai & it started pouring with rain. I starting getting really antsy as I hate racing in heavy rain (riding in the rain isn't exactly safe & running in wet shoes is just asking for blisters & grossness).

Thankfully, come Saturday morning, the sun decided to come out for the Sprint Triathlon (750m swim/20km cycle/5km run) which was my very first race for 2012 & first race back from ankle surgery. The 30-39 females were one of the last waves to go. It was a bit of a fight in the water for the first few minutes. I got kicked in the face a few times & I ended up swimming on top of people (unintentionally) because there were so many of us. The human washing machine is probably my least favourite thing about triathlon! I didn't feel very fast but I ran out of the water & took my cap, goggles & wetsuit off down to my waist. As soon as I hit the stairs, I saw the BTC crew, who cheered so loudly & gave me great motivation to overtake a few people heading up towards transition. I took my wetsuit off as fast as I could & found my bike. In true Fonginator style, I was in & out like a flash; no cups of tea in transition for this girl (and ended up placing 2nd in my AG for T1). The day before, I had practiced leaving my cleats in the pedals to save some time (and its so dangerous trying to run in cleats) & I thought for sure I was going to fall on my ass. But thankfully, it all went according to plan & I had absolutely no issues getting my feet in the shoes once I was on the bike. Swim time: 16.02. T1 time: 1.32 (3rd fastest T1 in my AG).

The bike course was fairly undulating with some gradual hills that weren't really steep but felt like they just never ended! I didn't feel like I got into a rhythm & although I overtook quite a lot of people, there were times where I felt like I was going nowhere, no matter how hard I pushed. It probably didn't help that I bolted out of T1 like a bat out of hell & went as hard as I could on the bike for the first 5kms. I started getting a stitch towards the end of the ride, so I made sure I didn't pedal too hard in the last few kilometres, as I wanted to save my legs (and my lungs) for the run. As I headed into T2 (after a successful dismount. No falls - yay), I overtook a couple more people coming in off the bike which made me happy! Bike time: 38.19. T2 time: 1.12 (2nd fastest T2 in my AG).

As I ran out of T2 & onto the run, I could hear screams of "Go The Fonginator" from almost every corner of transition! It was all a bit of a blur but I remember getting really excited when I heard people cheering for me. I sprinted down the hill & as I reached the corner outside of the view of spectators, I had to force myself to slow down or my lungs would've collapsed shortly after. Either that, or I would've dry-reached! Its funny how adrenaline can get you pumping! My ankle felt good for the whole run & I was trying to chase down people who I knew were in my AG. The run was out & back past beautiful beaches & through bushland too. I was about 3.5kms into the run when I saw a girl walking, so I asked her if she was ok & if she was injured. Thankfully she was just tired, so I told her she had to jog & that there was no more walking because we were so close to the finish. She listened & that made me want to push myself even more. Its so inspiring to see people's spirits lift with just a little bit of encouragement. The next time you're in a race, I urge you to do the same for someone else. Pay it forward if you wish. I know if it was me, I would definitely want someone to tell me to move my ass & HTFU!

I got to the flags & saw all the BTC crew there, yelling & screaming for a sprint finish up the chute (which felt like the longest finishing chute in the world)! I went as hard as I possibly could & made it over the line without falling over or puking. Run time: 22.51. Total race time: 1.19.58, which resulted in 7th place in my AG (out of 89) & 47th female out of 434. Only about a minute slower than last year, so I was happy; moreso because I had absolutely no pain in my ankle. Win!

I took a few hours off after the race to eat, have a shower, stretch & have a look around the expo (more ways to burn money). Then I signed up for the 5km Fun Run. I know, sucker for punishment, right? My quads & calves were pretty sore from the triathlon that morning but I thought, what the heck, let's see how the ankle goes. Plus I needed to start building up a bit of running mileage in my legs for Ironman.

It was 4pm & still blistering hot. There ended up being 130 people in the 5km Fun Run, 88 were women. At the start, I just thought to myself, set no expectations except race as hard as you can within the limits of ankle pain. Anything else is a bonus. As soon as the gun went off, two girls sprinted to the top of the hill to the first turn around. I couldn't help but follow. For some reason, I can't start slow & get faster. I start at suicide pace & then get slower. For some reason, psychologically, I like it better. It's weird. Anyway, after the first 500m the 2nd girl dropped back & I overtook her, so the only girl in front of me was "the girl in the yellow crop top." We'll call her Yellow. My goal was to just keep her in my sights. And for most of the race, she stayed within about 25 metres of me. FYI, my lungs were burning from start to finish. At the 2.5km turn around, I had gotten within 5 metres of Yellow & I thought to myself, she's slowing down, just stay behind her. After another kilometre, she was really pushing me to my limits. As we crossed over the bridge and into the park, I saw a bit of an incline. I love my hills so I managed to pass her but I told her to pump her arms faster & that way, her legs will just follow (good advice that my coach gave me that I have never forgotten). I also told her to stay with me as I picked up the pace. There was one more climb after the aid station & I was getting more & more out of breath. It felt weird to know I was leading. It's only ever happened to me once before (Balmoral Burn last year). I couldn't actually believe it. I kept thinking to myself, are you sure you're at the front?! Don't get excited just yet! Surely there's been a mistake. As we headed towards the finishing chute, with about 250m to go, I turned around & I could see that she was about 25m behind me. Then someone on the sidelines yelled out for me to sprint to the finish because she was catching up to me. So I did. I figure if someone is going to use their energy to yell at me, the least I can do is listen! Let's just say, had the race been 10 metres longer, there would've been projectile vomit. Final time: 22.10, fastest female overall, 1st place AG & no ankle pain. FRIGGIN STOKED!

I got home, celebrated with the BTC crew over an amazing dinner & headed out for a couple of drinks at the Husky Pub.

Sunday morning came around & I was on official cheering duties. Our house was conveniently located on Elizabeth Dr - so they had to cycle past the front of the house & run past the back of the house. Talk about prime position! There were about 20 people from BTC racing & it was getting pretty hot as the day went on. There were a lot of people who looked absolutely miserable by the time they got to the run but most of the athletes were happy when they saw us. There were lots of high fives. Huge thanks to lululemon Mosman for letting me borrow the supporter signs. They were a huge hit! 

I just want to say a huge congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend, especially the amazing people from Balmoral Triathlon Club who continue to support, encourage & inspire me. It was also fantastic to catch up with friends who I haven't seen in ages. Thank you to Balance, BondiFit, Cronulla & Hills Tri Clubs for all the cheering & being so welcoming & fun. It makes a huge difference to the atmosphere.

I am really looking forward to racing Husky again next year (hopefully the Long Course). Now its time to smother my body in tiger balm...

11 weeks til IRONMAN!!

HTFU,

Bel